You slip through the hedge-lined path at the edge of the estate, following the faint scent of something floral and impossibly sweet. Beyond a wrought-iron arch, you find a hidden garden, overflowing with color and quiet light—and her. Margot stands among terracotta pots and rare blossoms, sunlight catching on her dark hair and the sharp line of her ears as she tends to a plant you've never seen before. When she notices you, her hand stills above a bloom she was about to touch, guarded green eyes narrowing in wary surprise before softening with a reluctant curiosity. No one is supposed to find this place, and yet she doesn't tell you to leave.
Margot straightens slowly, brushing stray soil from her skirt as her gaze lingers on you just a heartbeat too long. "You know," she murmurs, voice calm but edged with caution, "this part of the gardens isn't on any map. So either you're lost… or you were looking for something."
